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Category Archives: music

I can’t get enough of Marina and the Diamonds. I first heard about this amazing singer when her song Shampain kept popping up in the suggested videos section of Youtube.

I finally gave it a listen and I was hooked! Strangely enough, Marina hasn’t hit it huge in North America yet but that may change soon because one of her songs is rumoured to be featured on an upcoming episode of Glee. In the meantime, here are two of my favourite picks from her latest album, Electra Heart.

Have you heard about Stars? Chances are you have actually heard their music somewhere in the last ten years. They usually have a slow, melancholic, dreamy sound but their latest album, The North, makes me feel like I’ve been transported to a New Wave club in the 80s. I finally picked up their latest album on Boxing Day and I have been rocking out to it ever since. Of course, I can’t write a post about Stars without including the song that introduced me to them nine years ago. Listen to it and fall into a trance.

There are only two days left till Christmas and if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent the last few weeks listening to Christmas music. There are a lot of older Christmas classics that gets played every year. Almost everyone is familiar with Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas or Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song but there are a lot of other songs that seem to have gotten lost over the years. Here is a list of my favourite vintage Christmas songs that you may not have heard.

1. June Hutton – Song of the Sleigh Bells

2. Mabel Scott – Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

3. Ella Fitzgerald – Santa Clause Got Stuck In My Chimney

4. Louis Armstrong – Christmas Night in Harlem

5. Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra – Marshmallow World

This performance always cracks me up. I think they may have had a few too many Christmas cocktails before going onstage.

Coconut Records is a one man music project by Jason Schwartzman. If that name sounds familiar it’s because Jason Schwartzman is also an actor who is probably best known for his work in Rushmore and Bored to Death and he is part of the extended Coppola family (Francis Ford Coppola is his uncle).

I first heard about Coconut Records about five years ago when the debut album Nighttiming was released. This latest release is a collaboration with Woody Jackson and is the soundtrack to the upcoming movie Goats. I have to admit, I have been listening to it almost daily. It’s perfect music for wandering around the city.

And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the song that started it all: Nighttiming. Enjoy!

I was listening to my favourite radio show, Q, this morning. The host, Jian Ghomeshi, was interviewing a young piano prodigy named Jan Lisiecki. Lisiecki is only 17 but has already been signed to the prestigious Deutsche Grammaphon label. His first album is a performance of Mozart piano concertos. Q played an excerpt from the album and I couldn’t believe how much it lightened my mood. I’ve always been a fan of classical music although, like fashion, I have never payed much attention to particular composers or pieces. However, I know what I like and I definitely enjoyed this. I hope you like it as much as I do.

A few weeks ago I was listening to one of my favourite radio shows, Q with Jian Ghomeshi, and suddenly I heard the most incredible music. Listening to it made me feel like if I closed my eyes long enough I might wake up on a beach or maybe somewhere in Brooklyn. I kept listening and found out that the music was by a new band called Eight and a Half. I am notorious for complaining about the lack of good new bands so this made me stand up and take notice. Within a week I went out and bought the album and have probably listened to it 20 times already. This is the perfect summer music as it’s light, slightly new wave-y, ethereal and dreamy. I might have known that I would like this band as it’s made up of members from both Broken Social Scene AND The Stills but I was still thrilled to finally hear a new band that makes beautiful music.

I love Sloan. I first heard about them in 1994 when I was around 9 and their first full length album, Twice Removed, had just been released. When I think of great Canadian music Sloan is one of the first bands that comes to mind. They have been a mainstay of the Canadian music scene for over 20 years and continually churn out incredible music. I have a number of favourite songs by them but I’ve managed to narrow it down to just three that I think everyone should hear.

The Lines You Amend

This is a great song that makes me feel like I’ve suddenly been transported back to the 60s or 70s. In fact if you listen very closely while watching The Virgin Suicides, a movie that takes place in the mid 70s, you can hear this song (and another Sloan song, Everything You’ve Done Wrong) playing in the background. At the very least, it is one of my favourite summer songs.

Someone I Can Be True With

This song isn’t even two minutes long but I think it’s one of the greatest love songs ever.

Cheap Champagne

Aside from the hand claps it’s hard for me to explain but to me this is a quintessential Sloan song.

Finally, I forgot to mention one of my favourite aspects of Sloan: each band member plays a little bit of everything. This isn’t a typical band where one member always sings and plays guitar while the others stick to drums, bass, etc. Each member writes and sings their own songs and they rotate as necessary. It’s always amusing to see a live Sloan show and watch as they change positions on stage.

I love Kelly Clarkson’s single Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)! The song is obviously a post break-up song about moving on with her life and feeling better than ever but I have been using it to motivate myself during workouts. It makes me feel like I’ve got what it takes to keep pushing myself harder and harder and to become, what else, stronger.

Have a listen to this song. I can almost guarantee that it will make you want to get off the couch and get moving!